3 players the St. Louis Cardinals need to remain patient with and 2 they should not

Remain patient with: Giovanny Gallegos

I know, it hasn't looked pretty recently, and that's really frustrating for the Cardinals and this fanbase. But Giovanny Gallegos has been one of the best relievers in baseball since coming over to the Cardinals and giving up on him now would be an overreaction.

Since 2019, Gallegos is tied with Edwin Diaz for 5th in WAR among all relievers in baseball, ahead of guys like Emmanuel Clase, Devin Williams, and Kenley Jansen. During the first month of the season, Gallegos has a 1.00 ERA in 9 innings of work and he looked like one of the best relievers in baseball this season until the last few weeks.

We all know things can go south very quickly for relievers, so I'm not saying that the concerns around Gallegos are unwarranted or that he will for sure get past these struggles, but throwing the towel in on him right now is far too early.

Maybe it's time to let Jordan Hicks take more of his opportunities. I know he did not look great in his last appearance, but he was coming off of a 14-game stretch where he allowed just 7 hits and 3 runs in 17 innings, and had six days between appearances. Relievers need to be in a rhythm like other players, so allowing two hits on Friday does not freak me out.

But even if Hicks takes more of the high-leverage spots, it doesn't mean Gallegos should not receive important opportunities as well. He's earned the trust of this Cardinals team.